A global re-design of the textile industry’s broken business model is essential for the post-coronavirus world.

With the European Commission poised to start developing a new ‘comprehensive strategy for textiles’ a broad coalition of 65 campaign groups for fair trade, human and workers’ rights, environmental protection, and transparency – has set out its vision for the future of the industry.

The textile, garments, leather and footwear (TGLF) sector has long been characterised by labour rights and human rights abuses...

Members of the European Parliament ... have addressed a joint letter to all the Members of the European Parliament to share and support the civil society groups’ vision...

The civil society vision for a comprehensive EU Textile Strategy contains recommendations for legislative and non-legislative actions that the EU can undertake to contribute to fairer and more sustainable TGLF sector, including:

> Ensure companies are legally obligated to take responsibility for not only their own activities but their whole supply chain by applying an EU due diligence law across all sectors...

> Stricter environmental rules...

> Ensuring brands and retailers are legally obliged to honour contracts and end the culture of unfair purchasing practices...

> Make governance reforms and better law enforcement in producing countries part of the solution...

> Through trade policy, use EU market power to leverage sustainable production practices in the TGLF industry.